Avoiding Danger Areas

Don’t take anything unnecessary to city beaches – bathing suit, towel, small amount of cash and nothing else!

After dark, don’t ever walk along empty streets, in deserted parks or on urban beaches.

Central business districts can be dangerous on Saturday and even more so on Sunday, when there are few people around. Be sure to save these visits for weekdays.

Scams & Robbery Techniques

Distraction is a common tactic employed by street thieves. The aim is to throw potential victims off guard so that they’re easier prey. It may be something as simple as asking you for a cigarette or a light so that you slow down and take your attention off other people around you.

There have also been reports of druggings, including spiked drinks. While you’re temporarily unconscious or semiconscious as a result of some noxious substance being slipped into your beverage, you’re powerless to resist thieves. If you start to feel unaccountably dizzy, disoriented, fatigued or just mentally vacant not long after imbibing, your drink may have been spiked. If you suspect this to be the case, call for help, quickly extricate yourself from the situation and try to get to a safe place – your hotel room.

Exercise extreme caution when someone you don’t know or trust offers you a drink of any kind or even cigarettes, sweets etc. If the circumstances make you suspicious, the offer can be tactfully refused by claiming stomach or other medical problems.

Cut-rate Tour Operators & Touts

In Manaus, Cuiabá and other parts of the Amazon and the Pantanal, there’s a major problem with freelancers and shady operators selling cut-rate tours that turn out to be ecologically unsound, awful and/or unsafe. As a rule, never book a tour (or even accept help) from someone who approaches you unsolicited at the airport or on the street. Go directly to the offices in town, or book on websites ahead of time.

Government Travel Advice

The following government websites offer travel advisories and information on the security situation in Brazil and elsewhere.

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